Drive selection in bulk material handling
Bulk handling duty is continuous, dusty and access-constrained. Those three conditions drive most of the selection work.
Bulk material handling equipment runs long hours at relatively low shaft speed, in environments where dust ingress and washdown are routine and where planned downtime is scarce. Selection therefore turns on duty and access as much as on rated output.
Continuous-duty conveyors, stackers, reclaimers and ship loaders share a common characteristic: torque is required at process speed, and the mechanical arrangement that produces it determines what has to be serviced later. Direct drive removes the reducer stage; a geared arrangement keeps it. Either can be correct — the deciding factors are the existing infrastructure, the site electrical service and how equipment can physically be reached.
For ports, terminals, cement and aggregate operations, the mounting arrangement and enclosure specification usually deserve as much attention as the motor itself.
Our Industries and PMDD pages describe the sectors and applications we work in and the information required to scope a system.
